On this subreddit, I'm wondering which popular actors and actresses had to take on most difficult or challenging roles of their career, even if they did find these experiences troubling. Roles that affected them mentally, physically and psychologically.
So often on the rare occasion I post a video of my voice online somewhere I’m told “lol good luck with becoming a voice actor” in a condescending mocking tone or if I’m going to audition for theatre i get the laughed at. And honestly I’m a social reject so my social skills and understanding of character and how to portray them up to other people’s standards is limited. However, I grew to think of acting as a process, sure some people are naturally good at it but just because I’m not does that mean I should just give up and pursue another career path? Maybe some people need more live experience, or coaching. I personally know I could benefit from live theatre experience as I’ve never taken a consistent in person acting class before.. It’s just discouraging when people make you feel like you’re destined to fail. Have any of you ever felt like this? If so how did you overcome it? I have gotten paid for voice work on voices but I want to do character work but whenever I try I get laughed at..
I understand that VO will be required for actual acting for a long time, but how long will it be required for explainer videos and e-learning videos where emotions are not usually as important? I’ve noticed even on apps like TikTok the automated voices are getting a little better (still not there but moving in the direction.) It’s something that stops me from going full time into VO work as I get a lot of this type of work. I’m not trying to be a downer, I guess I’m just looking for a little reassurance?
I’ve lived in LA since 2003. Conservatory, then On-camera and Hosting led me to Voice Over. SAG-AFTRA since 2010. I have an LA agent, a few regional agents and a manager. I’m also a member of the Television Academy. By no means am I the most accomplished individual in this sub. I still take classes frequently and I study under more accomplished coaches than myself. I truly love the industry and I love my fellow Actors. The desire which drives us all, unites us all. What’s your question? Everything is fair game.
Hey gang! Can someone who is in SAG and does Voice Overs tell me if a production company is allowed to cancel your job - after closing and giving the script, day, time ect? Or what would make them do such a thing. I called SAG and their VO person is sick - so they transferred me to the commercials dept and they said they didn’t know. I have emails from them specifically confirming me and saying I was top choice- they went back and forth with my agent and finally we confirmed. The next afternoon they canceled- less than 24 hours before the job. They’re telling my agent that it was a “Mix up” and didn’t mean to book me!! I’m a commercial actor and haven’t done a lot of VO. My agent said she will tell them to pay me. Maybe they will… I’m really just shocked that they would be so GD rude and that SAG doesn’t have my back. I pay dues to avoid this sort of thing! for a bit of reference, I was the lead actress in the national commercial for this spot and was asked to do their radio commercials as well. It’s not like they were not familiar with me so I find it so strange that they would make such an error.
Hi guys! I'm currently in communication with someone at my school about doing voice over for some presentations/videos for a class. I'm an actor, but have zero voice over experience. I recorded and provided them a short sample, and they asked me what my hourly rate is. I have zero idea what I should request since I've never done this before. I would be recording in a studio on campus and would only be doing the voice over (no editing on my part). They said it's roughly 10 hours of audio total. Any help would be appreciated!!
Hello there! I'm one of the producers of a USC School of Cinematic Arts advanced film production entitled "Standards." Our short film is a psychological drama/horror exploring the harmful effects of modern beauty standards on the minds of young girls. We are casting for Ju-Hye Lee, our **first-generation Korean-American protagonist**, and her family members (mother, aunt, and father). We are *also* looking for a **child actor** who will portray Child Ju-Hye. \*Pronounced Joo-Hay. \------ **PLOT SYNOPSIS:** An entity, known as "The Figure," forces a young woman to say the worst things she’s ever said to herself to all of her closest friends. On the eve of her 18th birthday dinner, Ju-Hye tries her best to fit into a dress that is too small, gifted to her by her overbearing and materialistic aunt. As Ju-Hye psychologically breaks down under the pressures of looking good enough for her family, an entity that briefly haunted her on her 10th birthday dinner comes back to teach her a painful lesson about self-acceptance. After hurting everyone she loves and even losing a friend's life, Ju Hye finally faces the entity and discovers it's true identity. The entity was actually a manifestation of her childhood self, first tainted by the beauty standards imposed by her family. This **psychological drama/horror** is a social commentary on how harmful, violent, and isolating beauty standards can be. \------ **For Ju-hye, we are looking for a cisgendered Korean woman who can play 18-years-old and can speak Korean fluently or intermediately. (We are also looking for a young woman to play 10-year-old Ju-hye!)** **Ju-Hye** is a well-kempt, fiercely independent, and bluntly honest young woman. Ju-Hye struggles with body image issues, an eating disorder, an anxiety disorder, and a nicotine addiction. Falling apart under the weight of the expectations from her aunt and mother, Ju Hye reaches her ultimate breaking point. Though typically one of the sweetest people around, when Ju Hye comes into contact with "The Figure", a seemingly malevolent entity, she is forced to say all the self-deprecating things she tells herself to her closest friends instead. Ju-Hye must learn that in order to mend her freshly broken relationships with her friends, she must first mend her relationship with her inner child she has abused for so long. \------ This is a **SAG-AFTRA Union** short film made for the **USC School of Cinematic Arts**. As per university and union guidelines, though this is **not** a paid opportunity, you will receive a copy of the film, film & union credit, and free meals. Keep in mind, "Standards" is on the festival track! We will be shooting **every weekend** (Saturday & Sunday) from **January 29th** to **February 20th**. \------ If this project and/or role interests you, please contact our **Casting Director Maria Takigawa:** [**MariaTakig@gmail.com**](mailto:mariatakig@gmail.com) Send us your **headshot, resume, acting reel**, and any other information or materials you'd like. \------ For general questions about the project, please email our team at: [**StandardsFilm@gmail.com**](mailto:StandardsFilm@gmail.com) We have also posted casting calls on [Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/casting/standards-452429/?utm_source=social_share&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=casting_call) and Actors Access. \------ Thank you for reading!
I'm sorry if this is kind of a ridiculous question but I'm a little unclear about what agents do. I see a lot of voice actors on social media talking about how many auditions they get sent or how many they book and it sounds like it's a lot and I'm wondering where they're finding all of these auditions. Is it the agents that send all of those auditions? I can't imagine anywhere else where you can find so many legit non fandub projects like on casting call club.
This one apparently has been going around for possibly a few years, but I just got emailed about it yesterday, so I thought I would pass on the text of the scam so people can be on the lookout for it. I forget exactly how the scam works but it is something along the lines of, they supposedly book time at a studio for you but then for some reason they need you to cover some of the cost of the studio upfront. But don't worry! They will pay you double at the end or some such crap. Anyhow - it is a scam. There is no booked session. Most times the studio doesn't exist or if it does they have never heard of this session, etc. The 1st email I got went like this: ***"Hello, this is Maxwell. I got your contact from your website, Voice over actor needed for a commercial game host show advert project. Please respond if you are available and interested."*** I was skeptical because it was worked so poorly, but I responded to see where it would go. This was the response I got back (which is verbatim of what I have seen other people post before): ***Hello,*** ***It is an $850 voice over (Assignment) for you and it's in English. A new corporate client of mine wants to create their online website.This assignment is a copyrighted script that will be provided. We have specialists and Contract Studio Engineers who will bring real perfection to the job. It’s a two days project and wouldn't take more than 45 minutes to record for each day.*** ***Job Location:*** ***The job and the recording will be held at a rented studio close to your location, so you don't have to worry about traveling, the name and address of the studio will be forwarded to you before the date of the recording.*** ***Job Description*** ***---------------*** ***We are creating a marketing video to be distributed through web and social media. The overall video is approximately 20 minutes in length with the game show host part being about 8 Mins also. The voicemust be smooth, friendly, fun and entertaining.*** ***Sample Script:(This is an idea of what to be expected)*** ***(VO) Uh, I’m no rocket scientist but I’d say…traffic congestion.*** ***(VO) Well, I’m no rocket scientist but that’s a no brainer. Mass Transit is the better option.*** ***Expectations: You need to be in a good mental and emotional state of mind. Basically this is all that is required of you, Kindly, get in touch with me as soon as possible if you will take the job. More details will be provided to you and we can continue from there. I will appreciate your prompt response.*** ***Let me know if you will take the job to commence with the next arrangement and also send a voice demo or reel. Please I'd like you to check your email on a regular basis, I might have updates for you.Thanks*** ***Best Regards,*** ***Maxwell*** Now, not wanting to be a jerk I responded as such: **Maxwell!** **Hi! Unfortunately, I won't be able to take on this job as I just accepted a part in the off-Broadway production of "Shwifty Sessions. The Rick & Morty Live Musical!" and will have no free time for recording.** **Best of luck filling the role!** Stay safe out there folks! Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
hello, i would like to know what are the best schools or places to do an actor demo reel, and i would like to know how i can get agents with no experience, only with online classes.
Im 22 and only just starting to act. I am in Virginia and looking to do some student films and short films over the next couple months, as well as some theatre maybe. Outside of school productions what is a good way to find castings in Virginia? Or anywhere on the east coast at that. Ive searched here and a lot of the responses about this are a couple years old. Ive looked on places like Backstage and Actors Access, but that was mostly just to look since it costs money for a subscription.
Do you want an agent, to be a freelancer (run a voice over business), or work as an employee that does voice over at a creative agency? These are big choices that carry different implications for what it means to be a voice actor, and a point that isn't always explained at the beginning of your journey. So, what is the difference? Having an agent is what the majority of people in this industry shoot for. Having an agent essentially means that you not only have someone to negotiate on your behalf, but you also have a reputable company essentially vouching for your talent as an agency **won't** accept sub-par talent. So, what is the downside? Well, if you have an agent 95% of the time all of your jobs need to be negotiated through that agent/agency. You can't really just pick up a job and go for it (there are of course exceptions to every rule). You also pay them 10 - 15% of the gigs that they land you (If you have an agent that is charging a monthly fee or upfront costs, run). The next option is to open your own voice over business. In this case you'll get to keep **100% of the profit**. But the downside is that you'll obviously be the one responsible for finding work, reaching out to clients, negotiating your rate, and everything else that comes with running a business. The final option is to work as an employee who does voice acting, like at a creative agency. In this case you'll be paid ether a salary, or hourly, and work to fulfill voice acting gigs for the company. This can be the most stable of the three options. You'll get a steady paycheck, maybe benefits, and be able to do the work you enjoy; the downside is that they make **much** more of the profit than you. In some cases, not all, you'll be getting a base salary with no commission, if they land a $1,000,000 client, you're still getting paid your hourly rate, or salary, unless you also get a bonus that is linked the projects total profit. These are the three options that are in front of you when you go into the field of voice acting. I hope that this helps you to narrow your scope and jump in! If you have any questions for me don't hesitate to ask. Happy Wednesday let's get some work! Thank you u/talksallday & u/Separate_Safe2779 for bringing up these points in an earlier conversation. If I have missed anything, please feel free to clarify.
Hello! So I booked one of my biggest commercials in July. It was a series of 6 commercials they shot, and I was the lead in one. They were to be released as preroll ads for a popular online pop culture website. Its for a well known company, but not McDonalds, Best Buy, Target level. Non Union. They started releasing them every two weeks starting in September. The last one to be released was at the end of November, and then nothing. Of course, mine is the only one out of the 6 that hasn't been released. I'm an unrepped actress in LA, that was planning on using this commercial (and a few others I booked this year - but not as big), for my reel to pitch to commercial agents. I've just been waiting on this one commercial to be released so I could use the footage as part of my pitch package. Would it be out of line for me to reach out to the brand and ask them about the status of the commercial, and if they don't have any plans to release it (for whatever reasons) if I could get the edited footage for my commercial reel? The brand only has about 100,000 followers on IG, so they are reachable. Just wanted to get some opinions on this from some experienced commercial actors. I was thinking of giving it until the end of February before reaching out.
I'm from Holland and my dream would be to play in the big movies that pretty much all come from and are made in the US. I'm just wondering if it is anywhere near achieveable considering English is not my first language and most characters portrayed in those movies are American/English/Australian. I know you could obviously play someone that is not from there but there's probably a lot less jobs available compared to roles that have English as their native language. Also, any tips on how to make it to the US as an actor that is not from there?
I’m new to this and I don’t want to accidentally lowball potential voice talent, but I also don’t want to overpay. I’m currently developing a free to play shooter game, and I’m looking to add voice callouts and wounded sounds. (Medic, reloading, cease fire, attack, etc…) As of right now, it’s looking like there will be about 100 lines with the majority being either two to three words long or just grunts and screams. Should I expect to pay by the line, word, or hour and what should I expect to pay for an amateur actor or actress with a good mic? I’ve seen a couple of rate guides, but they all seem like they’re for much larger scale projects than this.
Lately, I've gotten in my head that I (F19) want to be an actor. The thing is, I don't *want* to want to be an actor. I've loved stories and story telling for as long as I can remember, the idea of being part of that storytelling process and becoming a character is extremely compelling to me, it's hard to even put it into words. The idea started around my sophomore year of high school but I brushed it off as a fleeting interest. But, the idea has only festered since then and now I can't stop thinking about how much I might regret not pursuing it in the future. I've started doing research about what it might take to get started in acting, but the more I look into the less sure I feel about my current path of study. I'm currently in my second year of community college and transfer to a four year university to complete my bachelors degree. After this I plan to attend law school. While my parents are supportive of this plan, and are paying for my school, I'm almost one hundred percent sure that they won't support me if I tell them I want to be an actor. The truth is, they don't even know I'm interested in acting at all. There are a couple reasons why I'm not sure if I want to be an actor enough, the first is that I've essentially been alone for the past year and the whole passion for acting might actually be me getting to invested in my day dreaming. Because of COVID, my dad lost his job and moved the family to a city in a different state. I grew up in a smaller town my entire life, and still take classes from my hometowns college because they're all online. My parents are pretty paranoid about being in a city, so they don't want me to go out by myself. It's been pretty isolating, but I don't know how to tell my parents that I feel this way (a recurring theme). Because of the isolation, I've been watching a lot of "classic" movies and tv interviews just to make the time go by over winter break. I'm worried that these things are overly influencing my newfound interest in acting. Second, I've never had any experience in acting. I've been to local theaters and shows, but I've never participated in one myself. I know the obvious answer would be to go sit in at a local class, but again I'm not allowed to go out by myself since my parents are worried. To be fair to them, the city we moved to does have a pretty significant crime rate and homeless population. Third, I'm worried it won't pay. Yeah, maybe it's shallow and maybe artists should suffer for their art and if it were just me I might be for it. As I mentioned earlier, my parents pay for my school and will be co-signing my student loans for the next two years of university. I've always been a "what ever it takes" kind of person, and am on track to transfer to a top 100 university where I'll hopefully graduate from and eventually enter the Big Law arena. Obviously becoming a successful lawyer is no guarantee, but I'll bet the stats are a whole lot better than me lucking out and becoming a successful actor. My parents don't have a retirement plan, they've invested everything that have into my siblings and I. Despite all this, I can't help but feel like I'm hurtling towards a life of discontent if I don't at least let myself give it a try. I've missed out on a lot of life experience because of COVID and moving, I don't want all of my regrets to stack up. I'm a pretty easy going person, I understand that my family isn't rich and we sacrifice certain aspects of life in order to survive. My love for story telling is something I can feel deep in my bones, the idea of being without it makes my being ache, but I also don't trust myself enough to just jump and commit when I have people relying on my future. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
So I was in the lucky few (2500) this year who get randomly selected by SAG to nominate the best performances for the SAG awards. I was specifically on the "Feature Film" committee though there's a separate one for TV. I'm making this post because every time I see outrage at who/what is nominated for anything, I don't know how to feel - but this experience has shown me how complex of a process it is. **First off:** you have to watch sooooooo many films. I love films so great, but it's a lot. I wasn't able to watch all of them, and I had so much free time due to unemployment so I don't know how others with jobs would actually watch all movies. To be impartial one needs to see everything - but even then you're seeing some 3 months before voting, and others a few days before (depending on when you receive screeners/get invited to Q&As). **The Biggest Factor:** Marketing! You wouldn't believe the amount of mail I received over the last three-four months. And you guessed it - the majority came from the biggest budget movies/studios. Some movies just have insane PR behind them, while other incredible indie gems barely make it on our radar. I happen to be into indie and foreign films so I made an effort to go to those events. But truthfully, it's all about top of mind awareness and when you're thrown all these materials about the same films you think well I better *at least* watch these ones. **So much talent:** I don't know if this year was loaded or what (due to a covid backlog) but there were sooooo many incredible performances. It was ridiculously hard to pick 5 performances in each category because the acting was phenomenal. At the end of the day, it just becomes what you resonate with... but also it's very hard to vote for an indie performance where you feel like no one else will vote for them! What you see at the higher lead/supporting levels is that the categories are **dominated** by A-List talent. Of course everyone wants to go see the Q&A with Leo etc. And of course they're fucking good. And it becomes so hard to make space for the talent that really could rival them. **People have different taste:** Of course I read reviews of these films while I was watching these things, I was curious what other people thought. And oh my god, some of this year's "masterpieces" I found boring to bits, while some of the severely underrated works I thought were genius. All this shit is subjective! It's such a random clusterfuck of opinion - and each award focuses on a specific kind of person. SAG is actors, so hopefully.... At the end of the day so much of who gets seen and voted for starts not with the voters, but with the whole process of creating the movie and budgeting. And I think that probably applies to most Award shows.
A covid test kit instructional video is being shot in Atlanta and we need an actress between the ages of 23-33. Video will be 2-3 minutes in length. Must be able to do the full covid test kit in front of camera. The shoot will be at the end of January to early February If interested please send your rate and a headshot to [birdsvfilms@gmail.com](mailto:birdsvfilms@gmail.com) Thank you
I am wondering if there are blossoming or established markets that an actor should have an agent in. Like I heard Austin, TX has a recommended market. is anyone here in any state that isnt LA/NY/ATL/CHI that works on a good basis? Thank you.
I currently am working retail but it's hard to have flexible hours for rehearsals especially when I'm required to work evening shifts. Was wondering what other people do or if you have any suggestions. Thanks!